Epic of Eden Bible Study

Perfect for:

Small groups (each week includes a group discussion guide; DVD sold separately)

Anyone that struggles to see the Old Testament's relevance to the big story of Scripture

Groups looking to be challenged to understand the Bible in ways they haven't before

Wednesday night studies and/or Sunday school classes requiring approximately 90-minutes of meeting time

In these pages you'll:

Gain a rich understanding of the context in which the Old Testament was written

"Organize your closet," making sense of all the Old Testament parts, pieces, and stories you've accumulated over time

Discover how the the big story of Scripture has serious implications for our present. Just because it happened in the past doesn't mean it stays there!

About the Study

Does your knowledge of the Old Testament feel like a grab bag of people, books, events and ideas? How many times have you resolved to really understand the OT? To finally make sense of it? In The Epic of Eden Video Study, Dr. Sandra Richter clearly and powerfully communicates a history of God’s redeeming grace, weaving together a story that runs from the Eden of the Garden to the garden of the New Jerusalem.

Through text and video teaching, Dr. Richter uses this 12-week study to bring a new dimension to the history of the ancient Near East, orienting any study group in time, geography, culture, redemption, and relevance to today — all without diminishing her reader’s faith or “dumbing down” the scripture.

Legendary Bible stories take on new life as Dr. Richter clearly articulates their part of a larger pattern, revealing an even deeper significance for the tales individually. The Epic of Eden video study is ideal for serious church groups wanting a meaty study of biblical text, as would anyone eager for a strategic grasp of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Old Testament and how it relates to God’s activity in the present.

How does this series work? The study involves two components. The first is a set of twelve filmed, approximately half hour, sessions with Dr. Sandra Richter (available as a DVD or through streaming over the internet), and the second is a study guide for each of your group members. This workbook includes five individual studies per week, to be done at home. The idea is that each member will be working at home at their own pace, doing as much or as little as schedules permit. Once per week your group will gather to view the filmed study, talk about the individual work from the week, and focus on some group discussion questions. You can download a leader aid here.Let the adventure begin!

Note: The original Epic of Eden book published by InterVarsity Press is a completely separate product and is not required for the study.

Sample Video Session

About the Author

Sandra Richter is the Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. She served as a Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College for the past four years teaching Hebrew language, exegesis, cultural contexts, and “Environmentalism and the Evangelical.” She received her MA from Gordon-Conwell and her Ph.D. from Harvard University's Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department. She is deeply invested in bringing the real people and real places of the Old Testament to life for both the academic and the lay person. For more than a decade she directed an Israel Studies program for Asbury Theological and Wesley Biblical Seminaries.